The Aquino Easter Special

I spent my Easter Sunday in our lola's house with my cousins (first degree), Titos, and Titas. We were semi-complete yesterday which meant around 37 adults and kids who were either eating, talking, or playing inside and outside the house. That was our traditional way of celebrating Easter. It began at noon.

At around 4:30 pm, we found an old album with our family pictures circa 1980-1986.

Looking past the bizarre hairdos, the baduy clothes, the chubby baby faces for us young ones, the still payat-looking Titos and Titas, and the still-alive and smiling Lolos and Lolas (some of them are peacefully resting now; God bless them), we were still doing the same things -- eating, talking, playing... and of course, taking pictures.

And we found these pictures amusing.

1980. I was not yet born. Neither was my older sister. So the kids in the photos were just our older cousins (who looked like Korean telenovela children) and my kuya who at 28, still look the way he was at the age of 2. (He's going to kill me if he reads this but I'm sure he won't. He won't read it.)

1981. My older sister was still a baby girl... already maldita-looking. just kidding, love you! :) (she gets to read this.)

1983. My lola had the same fluffy-looking all white hair. My dad had a flat stomach and amazingly had the same hairstyle. My mom had this almost-Afro do but was still pretty (my mom sometimes reads my blogs). My older brother and older sister looked like themselves. And there was this ultra chubby and dark baby, ME!

1986. Cousins more Chinese than Korean-looking. Lola's hair still the same fluffy with its all-white natural shade. Papa's stomach still flat. Mom's hair less curly, more wavy. Kuya, the same. Ate Monica, the same. Me, still dark and will always be. My younger and youngest sis were both CUTE babies! :) (Ling often reads my blog.)

With all these old pictures and all the chit-chats with my cousins, I found myself hyper and laughing almost the entire afternoon. But before actually seeing these old photos, I had my earlier share of laughing moments from a more "futuristic" material.

Before lunch, Easter Sunday text messages bombarded my cellphone until all I saw on my LCD was... "No space for new messages". (Actually, I often see this sign even without special occasions.. first, because I don't get to clean my inbox with old messages lying there. And second because my phone is no longer capable of saving too many of them. Haha.)

INTERMISSION:
I received some messages late. And I probably missed one or two of them. If I wasn't able to text "thank you" and text "Happy Easter" back, I probably did not receive the message... Although late, HAPPY EASTER too! :)

BACK TO MY EASTER STORY:
Among all the messages I got to read the whole day though, it was one of my good friends' messages that I could remember -- "Happy Easter Bunnies". If it were any other person who texted me that, I probably would not have laughed. BUT it was PeeJay Lanot... Jags... The eagle of the Blue Babble, literally the man inside the eagle suit (in one of the Blue Eagles' games)... The Ultimate Single Guy of ABC 5. And just because it was from him and just because I could imagine his expression while saying it (expressionless for that particular moment perhaps), I laughed. For those who could not relate, I'm sorry! He's the guy in the Inquirer commercial seen before movies start in Makati. (I know people who hate that commercial, but believe me, when you meet PJ, you can never hate the guy! All his friends love him and that should be enough for an onlooker to know that he is nothing less than a good person --> based on Prince Edward's words in First Knight.) So now, I've actually introduced PJ as a funny and a good person (and it's either you take my word for it or not). But my point really is I laughed because of his greeting.

There wasn't really anything ultra-funny about "Happy Easter Bunnies". The line was even hovering over corny. BUT it is how we TAKE THINGS IN that matters. In this case, how I TOOK the line in based on what I know of the sender, my good and funny friend, PJ.

...just like in the pictures from the old album, there was nothing really funny when those photos were taken. They were simply documentation of what we were doing back then. But they were funny to us based on what we already know about ourselves at present. I'm sure it wouldn't be as funny to others as how these pictures were funny to me and my relatives (so I'm not posting any of those old pictures here, haha!)

As I've often emphasized, we all have a certain hint of subjectivity. Always. Our memories and personal experiences allow us to interpret the world around us. So although we all live in the same world, each of us has a different story to tell. And I'm just happy to share mine with you.

But I'll be a lot happier if I get to hear (or read) yours :)

Admittedly, I do like Boy Abunda's words...

Kwentuhan tayo. :-)